Automatic stop for visible records corresponding to sound-records



X F. D. LEWIS.

AUTOMATIC STOP FOR VISIBLE RECORDS CORRESPONDING T0 SOUND RECORDS.

' APPLICATION man MAR. 9, 1918.

1,353,085, Patented Nov. 9, 1920.

- graph motor,

UNITED STATES FRANK D. LEWIS, OF WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO PATHE PHONOGRAPH COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N, Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

AUTOMATIC STOP FOB VISIBLE RECORDS CORRESPONDING TO $OUND-RECOBDS.

Application filed larch 9,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, F BANK D. Lnwis, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of West Orange, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Stops for Visible Records Corresponding to Sound-Records, of which the following is a specification.

' This invention relates to visible records adapted to have successive parts thereof exposed to view in synchronism with the reproduction of corresponding sounds by means of a phonograph. In this way sounds may be heard at the same time that the visible characters or symbols, as words, are seen. With such apparatus the teaching and study of languages, music and the like may be greatly facilitated.

he phonograph, however, may continue running after the sound reproduction is completed and until stop d,.and when the visible record is operate from the phonoas is most conveniently done, the visible record may be injured or torn, or where a tape or ribbon is used to contain the visible record, its end may be pulled off the spool, thereby interfering with rewinding.

According to the present invention a ribbon or tape carrying the visible record, as printed words, notes or the like, is provided which may be operated in synchronism with the reproduction of sound .from a phonograph record by means of a phonograph, and which is so formed that it stops automatically at the proper point.

lVhere the tape or ribbon'is provided with a series of holes for the reception of sprocket teeth of a feed roll, this result may be obtained by providing a blank space or cutout or opening in the ribbon or tape, and when the same reaches the sprocket wheel as the ribbon or tape is unwound, there is nothing for the sprocket teeth to engage and the sprocket wheel may revolve freely without producing further movement of the ribbon.

For the purpose of making my invention clearly understood, certain forms in which it may be embodied are illustrated in the accompanying drawing. Figure 1 shows one form of my improved record ribbon with so much of the operating mechanism as is necessary for the understanding of the operation of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is an Specification of Letters Patent.

' view been exposed to view,

Patented Nov. 9, 1920. 1918. Serial no. 221,429.

of a portion of the ribbon 1. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of a ri on similar to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2 but with the omission of the reinforcing means, and Fig.4 is a view of a further modification.

The ribbon is designated by the numeral 10. When intended for use with a double faced record it may be provided with two lines of characters, as indicated by the two lines of lettering marked 11 and 12, or the characters corresponding to the two sides of the sound record may be placed on opposite faces of the ribbon if desired.

enlarged view shownin F ig.

The ribbon 10, as shown, is provided with,

two series of perforations l3 and 14 near its edges which are adapted to be engaged by the sprocket teeth 15 of a feed roll 16. This feed roll may be operated from the phonograph motor, and the connection shown for this purpose comprises a gear 17 on the feed roll 16 which meshes with the gear 18 on the shaft 19. The shaft 19 carries a bevel gear 20 which is driven from a bevel gear 21 on the shaft 22, which forms a part. of or is connected to a phonograph motor and turns at such speed that the sound characters of the ribbon 10 may be exposed to as the corresponding'sounds are reproduced from the phonograph or a phonographic record having a sound groove so recorded as to correspond to the visible characters of the ribbon. Suitable means forwinding up the slack of the ribbon delivered from the feed roll 16 may be provided, and the same may be operated as by a belt from the pulley 23 on the feed roll shaft 16.

It will be seen that when the sprocket holes 13 and 14 are continued to the end of the ribbon without interruption, and the phonograph is continued to operate after the reproduction of the record is completed, it will be entirely unrolled from thespool 24 and may be torn or injured. In order to preventthis Iprovide the ribbon 10 with acutout or blank space 25 in line with the perforations 13 and 14, and when such cut-out or blank space is reached, preferably shortly after the longest series as indicated in the present case at 12, has the sprocket teeth 15 having nothing with which to engage, the

feed roll 16 may continue to rotate without, however, advancing the tape or ribbon 10. no

of visible characters,

When the sprocket teeth enter the cut-out or the blank space 25, the motion of the ribbon 10 stops and the phonograph may continue to operate while the ribbon 10 remains stationary. terminate at the cut-out 25, as there is no occasion forl the provision thereof beyond the said cut-out or blank portion, but in practies the sprocket holes are preferably cut on a machine operating continuously and may most r adily extend the entire length of the tape or ribbon, and in the drawing the sprocket holes are so shown. lt is to be noted, however, that the extra sprocket holes between the blank space and the end 10 of the ribbon serve no function and pres ent only for constructional reasons. The cut-Out 25 preferably at a, suilioient distance from the end 10 of the spool 24-. so thatwhcn the cut-out reaches the feed roll, a portion of the ribbon is still wound on the spool as shown in Fig. 1.

l vhere the ribbon 10 is of comparatively strong, tough material it is suliicient to merely cut out the material for a distance of three 'or four of the sprocket holes, as shown at 25', 8, but preferably in order to avoid too greatly weakening the ribbon I provide it with a reenforce 26 about tl'ie edges of the cutout space 25, which. rcin-- force may be of appropriate material and secure it in place in any desired w y, as, for example, the reinforce maybe of. fairly heavy paper or fabric, glued, cemented or otherwise secured in place, and may be placed on one side of the ribbon, or, if desired, on both sides.

ln Figg-a is shown a modification in which, instead of providing holes 25 in linev/itl'i the sprocket perforations 13 and 14;, leaving the edges of the ribbon intact, the ribbon is pro vided with a cut-out 27 extending to the edges of the ribbon. l Jith this construction somewhat more substantial reinforcing means are desirable, and I may provide re-' inforcing plates 28 of flexible material which extend for a short distance along the ribbon and may have one or more of thesprocket holes 13 and i l formed therein, and in the form shown in Fig. 4 two of the feed perforations are contained insuch reinforce 28.

The cut-out or blank spaces are'preferably located at some distance from theend of the ribbon, as shown in Fig.1, so that the movement of the ribbon stops while the same is still attached to the spool '24,; so that The perforations l3 and 1e may 7 i l. A ribbon having feed of the ribbon isthereby upon being nism it can be readlly rewound thereon. 0n

the other side of the reinforce 28 there is" no need of sprocket openings, and those in the tape may be covered up, as indicated at 13" and i4, l.

it will be seen that with a ribbon embodying the present invention an efficient and automatic stopping action at the pro oer point can be readily and simply obtained without the necessity of resorting to complicated mechanical ,declutching; means or the like.

I claim: v

visible charact s thereon having a. series of substantial-y closely arranged sprocket holes near the edge thereof, a cutout in the ribbon extend ing to the edge thereof and in line withthe perforations, and reinforcing means secured to the ribbon in the region of the cut-out.

2. A ribbon having two sets of visible characters, means whereby said ribbon is adapted to be engaged and fed along and its successive parts exposed to view, and means located beyond the longest of the sets of characters for automatically terminating the movement of the ribbon after both sets of characters thereon have been exposed to view. 7 a

3. A ribbon provided with a series of sprocket holes arranged substantially closely together and adapted to be engaged by a sprocket wheel, and having a cut one portion iii line with the sprocket holes and oflennth equivalent to the space occupied by a plurality of the sprocket holes, whereby the sprocket inay turn freely when such open ingis reached without actuating the ribbon,

that the feed of the ribbon is thereby terininated. l

4:. A ribbon provided with two lines of sprocket holes and having two out out portions, one in line with each of the sprocket holes and opposite one another, said out out portions being of length equivalent to the space occupied by a plurality of the sprocket holes, whereby the sprocket may turn freely when such openings are reached without actuating the ribbon, so that the terminated.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing 1 hereto set my hand,this 527th day of February, 1918.

FRANK n. LEWIS,

released from the feed mecha- 

